Brands are consolidating, consumer preferences are changing, disruptors are impacting the distribution landscape, and technology is evolving. Hotel owners face an increasingly complex environment in which they must choose the single, best operating model and brand strategy for a given property. Easier said than done.

During the session, we discuss operating and branding strategies for hotel owners in today’s environment. We review different ownership operating models and the pros and cons of each, the benefits of brand affiliation versus remaining independent, and our proprietary Brand Matrix, which ranks the seven major brand chains according to 13 key qualitative metrics. We also provide our expectations for distribution costs, management contract terms, soft brands, non-branded operators, and independent hotels.

Our view is that there is no “one size fits all” strategy or model that hotel owners should follow. Decisions must be made on a property-by-property basis. Nevertheless, hotel owners can’t be idle, and should continue to be innovative, adaptable, thoughtful. They should also be willing to push back on their managers and franchisors to produce the best results. At the end of the day, the objectives remain the same: Acquire or develop strong real estate, ensure the property is run as effectively and efficiently as possible, choose the right partners, and never lose sight of that hospitality factor. This is a people business after all.

This is the latest in a series of research reports, analyst calls, and data sheets aimed at analyzing the fault lines of disruption in travel. These reports are intended for the busy travel industry decision-maker. Tap into the opinions and insights of our seasoned network of staffers and contributors. Over 200 hours of research, data collection, and/or analysis goes into each report.